School Counselor and Psychological Examiner Certification

Missouri State University offers several options for those who are interested in pursuing Student Services Certification in either School Counseling or School Psychological Examiner. Certification in these areas requires the attainment of a masters degree, and several routes are available depending on your situation.

For information on School Psychological Examiner Certification, please click the link on the left.

School Counseling (K-8 and 7-12) Certification

There are three different routes to earning certification as a School Counselor. Please choose the route that best describes your situation:

Master of Science (MS) in School Counseling

This option is for those who have completed a bachelor's degree (regardless of the major) but have not yet earned a master's degree and wish to become a school counselor. Both certified teachers and non-certified individuals can choose this route. Since school counseling certification requires the attainment of a master's degree in counseling or related field, those who do not currently hold a master's degree must choose this route.

Counseling Certification for Students with a Related Master's Degree

This option is for those who have already earned a master's degree and now wish to pursue counseling certification. In order to pursue this option, you must have a master's degree in a "related field" and be within 12 credit hours of having completed all requirements for the School Counselor certificate. Acceptable master's degrees would include:

Master of Science in Counseling - Community Agency Counseling

Master of Science in Clinical Psychology

Other Master's Degrees including coursework in Counseling or Psychology

This option is also appropriate for those who have earned School Counseling certification from another institution (not Missouri State) but want to add additional grade levels.

Coursework Required for Certification:

Getting Started:

Students who believe they may qualify for this option should begin by sending the following documents to the Teacher Certification Office for an unofficial analysis. This request via email or fax should include the following information:

Copies of unofficial transcripts for every institution you have attended, both graduate and undergraduate.

A written request to have your transcripts analyzed for certification in either School Counseling (K-8 or 7-12). Please be very specific regarding your request for information.

We will obtain course descriptions for all relevant coursework and send your materials to the Department of Counseling, Leadership and Special Education for review.

Applying to the Program:

Applicants within 12 credit hours: If it's determined you are within 12 credit hours of completing all the graduate-level coursework required (not including the 12 hours of "education" courses needed) you will then complete the post-bac application process and will be able to immediately start taking classes as a post-master's, non-degree seeking student.

Applicants needing more than 12 credit hours: If you have more than 12 hours of deficiencies, you will be required to complete the following application process to be admitted to the School Counseling program:

Contact the Teacher Certification office at 417-836-8772 and ask that your official transcripts be forwarded to the School Counseling program.

Applicants completing this process will be required to interview before being admitted. If admitted, the Teacher Certification Office will then update your analysis to an official "program of study" for certification in school counseling. At that point, you can begin taking classes.

Please note: Students pursuing coursework as post-masters, non-degree seeking are not eligible for Financial Aid. If you require student loans to help pay for your coursework, you will need to apply to the MS in Counseling program.

Current Counselors adding Additional Counseling Certifications

This option is for those who currently hold a School Counseling certification that they earned at Missouri State, but now want to add additional grade levels. Students pursuing this option will be re-admitted to Missouri State as a post-master's, non-degree seeking student. This student status allows students to complete the additional coursework required for certification without having to enroll in a graduate program. However, because students are non-degree seeking, student loans are typically not available.

Application Process:Missouri State graduates pursuing additional certifications using this route must complete the following "quick admit" process prior to beginning classes to add certification:

For Students who completed school counseling certification through Missouri State SPRING 2011 OR LATER, you need to complete the following:

Complete the post-bac application for admission and transcript analysis. When you complete this application, it will direct you to a website for payment. Please be sure to mark only the $15.00 fee for an additional analysis since we would already have a certification file established for you. No transcripts will be needed unless you have completed coursework after being recommended for counseling certification. If so, please follow the process on our application process website to request an official transcript.

For students who completed school counseling certification through Missouri State PRIOR TO SPRING 2011, you will need to complete the following:

Provide us with an official transcript for every institution you have attended previously (except Missouri State and MSU - West Plains) by following the instructions on our application process website. We will be required to send them to DESE to recommend you for additional certification.

Once we receive your application packet, we will complete an analysis of your transcripts to verify the coursework you need to add additional certificates. Typically, students can add additional grade levels by completing 1-3 additional courses. Students pursuing this option will be eligible for a Provisional Certificate while they are completing their coursework.